Time of New Beginnings
by always.a.rebel
Summary: A different path from the books, starting from the night Sam imprints. A new future for Leah that affects everyone around her. What if Leah found a happily ever after that was different from what she always imagined? Blackwater.
1. It Wasn't Supposed to be Like This

Summary: A different path from the books, starting from the night Sam imprints. A new future for Leah that affects everyone around her. What if Leah found a happily ever after that was different from what she always imagined? Blackwater.

AN: This will be a Blackwater Story! The Cullens will also be a part of this story. I do not hate the Cullens, however, I am not a fan of Bella, Edward or Nessie. So if you are a major fan of those three there might be parts of this story you don't agree with. There will also be no Nessie/Jacob as this is a Blackwater fic. This is my first attempt at fanfiction so let me know what you think and thanks for trying it! The story is in third person but focuses on one person at a time (usually Leah or Jacob). 

Disclaimer: All rights to the story and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I am simply borrowing plot and characters for fun not profit.

* * *

**Chapter 1:**  
**It Wasn't Supposed to be Like This**

**June 2004**

Emily's Head

"When am I going to meet this Sam?" Emily asked her cousin as she checked her reflection in her bedroom mirror.

Emily had come to stay with her favorite cousin for the summer. Leah's graduation started in an hour and Emily had been waiting around all afternoon to meet the perfect boyfriend Leah spent endless hours swooning about on the phone.

_Fiancé_. Emily corrected her train of thought as she watched her cousin straighten out her white dress. Her perfect cousin, with the long copper legs that seemed endless. Her glossy black hair hung straight down her back. Her large, dark eyes twinkled as bright as her smile. She looked just like she belonged next to the man in the picture on her bedside table. The man Emily had been hearing about for months. The man Leah was secretly engaged to, wearing a ring around a chain on her neck. Emily was the only person Leah had told, they planned to tell everyone at Leah's graduation party tomorrow.

Emily kept a smile plastered on her face as she watched her cousin smile at Sam's name. The jealousy was eating her alive. It wasn't enough that Leah was completely gorgeous. Or that everyone in La Push and back home knew of her, wanted to be her or date her. It wasn't enough that she had the most doting parents or loving little brother in the world. She also had to be smart and funny and be engaged to the hottest guy Emily had ever laid her eyes on. She wanted Sam, but knew that with the love they shared she would never get the chance. With him in the picture she believed she could look just as good as her cousin.

* * *

Leah's Head

"When am I going to meet this Sam?" Emily asked as Leah starred at her reflection in the mirror. She put a forced smile on her face not meeting her cousin's eye.

"Tonight," She promised running her hands through her hair. She hoped they would meet tonight. She was glad Emily bought her excuse that Sam was working late when she arrived that afternoon wondering where her doting fiancé was. The truth was Leah hadn't seen Sam in over two weeks. It was only in a hushed call this afternoon while Emily was distracted by Seth's antics that he promised her he wouldn't miss her graduation, not for anything.

_For his own well-being he better not_. Leah thought as she adjusted the ring hiding on the chain under her dress. This was her night, and this weekend was the start of their future. Announcing their engagement in front of everyone at her party tomorrow. Moving her stuff into Sam's small house on the reservation. Preparing for college classes in the fall. Everything was falling into place.

"I can't wait!" Emily squealed from her seat on Leah's bed.

"Me either," Leah said with a soft smile, "The two most important people in my life meeting. This day is long overdue."

* * *

"You look great, sis!" Seth said to his taller sister as she followed their cousin down the stairs. "You look good to, Em."

"Thanks," She said turning in the royal purple dress, "It's Lay's."

Leah smiled at the childhood nickname. "It's my favorite so be careful," She playfully elbowed her cousin as her parents entered the living room. Her mother was snapping pictures as she walked and her beaming father handed her a white rose.

"I'm so proud of you, Princess." She smiled as she accepted the rose. For the past few weeks her father had been ridiculously busy with the council leaving them very little time together. She was glad he pulled himself away for tonight.

"Thanks, Daddy." She smiled posing for a picture with her father before ushering everyone out of the house. "Come on there will be time for pictures later! I don't want to be late." She hurried out of the house with a laugh, dragging Emily along and climbing into the back seat with her and Seth. Her parents took the front seats and set off to the high school.

Leah hurried out of the car with a large smile on her face. Many of her classmates hurried over giving her hugs before leaving to find their places. Leah met everyone with a graceful smile, but her eyes scanned the clearing for any sign of Sam. She waited until the last minute to leave her family and join her classmates. Sam wasn't in the lineup either.

She took calming breaths as the ceremony started. As valedictorian she rose to make her speech. The Black twins smiled at her as she passed, giving her reassurance but not fixing the disappointment she felt as she glanced around once more but still found no sign of Sam.

The rest of the ceremony went by in a blur. She cheered loudly for Rebecca and Rachel. Going through the motion when her own name was called. It was only when she found herself in a shower of graduation caps that she knew the ceremony was over. A moment later she was surrounded by the twins cheering happily in her ears.

Rebecca moved away first seeing their family approach while Rachel leaned in to whisper in her ear, "No sign of him?"

It wasn't a secret Sam was missing. Their class was small and he and Leah were the golden couple. Rachel, Leah's best friend on the reservation, was quick to spread the rumor that he was taking a spirit quest, connecting to his roots. She knew the truth though. That Leah hadn't heard from him and had no idea where he had run off to.

"No," She said as Billy Black rolled over to meet them. Rachel leaned down so he could kiss her cheek. Accepting a similar wildflower bouquet to the one in Rebecca's arms.

"My girls, I'm so proud." He beamed at his twin daughters. "Your mother would have been so proud. You too my Leah." He said handing her a single flower.

"Thank you, Billy." She said kissing his cheek. She smiled to Jacob, standing behind his father's chair. Something in the distance caught her attention, "Excuse me please."

She left the Black family and headed towards the trees. Suddenly Sam stepped out from behind them, a sheepish smile on his face, "Hey Lee-Lee."

"Sam!" She said excited throwing herself into his arms. He didn't respond when she kissed him, "What's wrong? Where have you been?"

"Don't worry about that now. I'm so proud of you!"

"You didn't walk."

"I skipped out on finals. I have some things to catch up on before I get my diploma."

"Will you still be ready to leave in August?"

"Don't worry, look here comes your parents."

"Leah!" Her mother smiled hugging her daughter tight, "You were amazing!"

"Thanks, Mom." She smiled as Seth and her father hugged her finally revealing Emily. "Sam, I would like you to meet Emily." She pulled her cousin forward turning to face a blank faced Sam. She called his name a few times and she finally gained her attention, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," He sputtered, forcing himself to look at her. "I have to go."

"Sam!" She called as he disappeared. "Sam!"

"Let it go, Sweetie." Sue said hugging her daughter close. "You will see him tomorrow."

"Yeah," Leah nodded pasting a fake smile on her face as she left to celebrate with her family.

* * *

The Clearwater family got up early the next morning. Leah's party started at First Beach at noon and the entire reservation was invited. Seth and Harry had left early to work on set up while Emily and Leah, joined by Rachel and Rebecca, got ready in Leah's room.

Leah curled her hair softly, before applying natural makeup that made her eyes pop. She pulled on her earth green sundress before joining the others in her room. The twins sat on her bed, Rachel in red and Rebecca in yellow. Emily was standing in front of her mirror in a pink sundress applying a bright pink gloss.

"Leah, you look amazing," Rachel said as Leah did a spin. Emily turned quickly dropping the lip gloss on her dress.

"Oh no!" She turned to show the girls the damage, "Now what?"

"Where is the dress from last night?" Rebecca asked.

"Here," Leah said plucking the dress off of her desk chair, "You looked amazing in this Em."

"Are you sure? I wore it last night!"

"It was dark and no one saw it much," Rachel said with a shrug.

"Besides, you need to show a dress like that off in the daylight," Rebecca added.

"Are you sure, Lays? It is your favorite."

"Defiantly," She pushed her cousin to the bathroom. "Now go and change so we can get to the party!"

* * *

The girls climbed out of Sue's car, giggling as they approached the beach. Billy, Harry, Jacob and Seth had set everything up and the party had begun.

Rebecca quickly hurried off, dragging Emily to meet a guy that would be perfect for her. Rachel and Leah mingled a bit, Leah's eyes scanning constantly for any sign of her missing fiancé her hand grasping at her engagement ring on the chain around her neck.

"What are you playing with?" Rachel asked dropping Leah's hand and turning her to face her. She pulled on the chain around Leah's neck revealing the small diamond ring, "Is that what I think it is?"

"We were going to announce it today."

"Congratulations!" Rachel squealed pulling the ring off the chain. "Put it on! Show it off and let's go find your stupid fiancé!"

Laughing Leah slipped the ring onto her left hand letting Rachel admire it before they rejoined the crowd. The party was in full swing now as they stepped back onto the beach. They continued their search for Sam stopping to talk to a few people and dance by the burning bonfire. Leah's ring didn't miss anyone's attention and word spread quickly through the partying crowd.

It was about two hours later when they had almost given up on their Sam search. Rumors of the engagement spread faster than the bonfire flames. Rachel made her new point to be distracting Leah from the missing Sam. They danced with their friends and tried all of Sue's food. It was growing dark before Leah began to wonder what had happened to her cousin.

Rachel and Leah stumbled upon a slightly buzzed Rebecca, "Have you seen Em?" Rachel asked grasping her stumbling sister by her arms.

"Not since she was talking to Sam!" She said over the music, dancing in place.

"Sam is here?" Leah asked to which Rebecca nodded. "Where did you see them last?"

She pointed down the beach before moving away from the pair and rejoining the mass of dancing teens.

Leah and Rachel gave each other a look scanning the area once more. The adults, including their parents, sat by the food enjoying small talk and the view of the ocean away from the loud music. The smaller children sat near the adults or splashing in the ocean just in front of them. The bonfire sat as a barrier between the adults and the young teens dancing in a mass. Leah couldn't see Sam anywhere and decided the best place to start would be the last place Rebecca had seen him.

Rachel and Leah moved through the crowd until it finally thinned out. Leah saw her brother throwing a football around with Jacob, Embry and Quil. A few other guys had joined them as well. Seth waved to his sister as she passed and she gave him a smile.

They continued walking down the beach until they found something they didn't expect. Leah's purple dress that Emily had borrowed was laying torn on the beach. Giggling could be heard just further into the trees.

"Leah, wait." Rachel tried to stop her realizing a moment too soon that something was very wrong. It was too late. Leah moved into the woods and stumbled upon the pair only a few feet off the beach.

She screamed loud, letting the painful sound echo in the air. The purple dress thrown onto the forest floor as she starred at the scene before her. Laying naked on the forest floor was her cousin and fiancé.

She stumbled back onto the beach falling into Rachel's arms. Rachel held her tight as her world continued to fall apart around her. The party had stopped, the music was silent and a twelve year old Seth was sprinting up the beach toward his sister. He stopped in his track, however, when Sam emerged in only his boxers holding onto Emily covered only by Sam's t-shirt.

"Leah, let me explain." Sam begged as Leah broke out of Rachel's embrace.

"Are you kidding me? You are supposed to be my best friend! And you're my fiancé! How could you do this to me? We are supposed to start our life together, Sam, and yet here you are banging my cousin!" She ripped the ring off her finger and flung it into the ocean, "I never want to see either of you ever again."

She turned to find all of La Push starring at them, "Come on I'll get you out of here." Rachel wrapped her arm around Leah as she hurried her off the beach and away from the prying eyes. Sue followed the pair of girls quickly as Seth continued on his path. The last thing Leah saw was her brother's fist contacting Sam's face. A shaking Sam retreated into the woods with a crying Emily calling after him.

* * *

The next morning Leah woke to a pounding headache. She sat up to find Rachel curled around her on her bed. The previous day came rushing back to her. Sam and Emily. The hasty retreat. Crying to her mom and Rachel until she passed out welcoming the darkness.

She took a quick shower throwing on a pair of jean shorts and a camisole. She tied her long, wet hair back and looked in the mirror. She looked tired. She felt exhausted. She moved to her bed shaking Rachel awake.

"Ray," she called softly.

"Hey!" She sat up quickly pretending to be wide awake, "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," She replied to the concerned girl, "But that is not your problem. You need to head home. Check up on things, make sure Rebecca is suffering through her hangover."

"I don't want to leave you alone right now."

"I'll be okay. You can even come check up on me later."

"Alright." She agreed. Leah pushed her into the shower and gathered some clothes she could borrow. Rachel dressed quickly and hugged her friend tight, "I love you, Lee."

"Love you too." She said as she walked her friend downstairs. She walked into a quiet kitchen, "Good morning."

"We need to talk, Leah." Her father said as she poured herself a glass of juice.

"I really don't want to talk about it."

"Not that," Leah turned to face her family. Sue was giving Harry a look while Seth refused to meet her eyes. "Emily was attacked last night."

"What? Is she okay?"

"She is fine. After she followed Sam she got lost in the woods. She was attacked by a bear, but luckily Sam found her in time."

Knowing she was okay, Leah's anger returned. "Okay."

"Okay?" Her father frowned, "Don't you want to go see her?"

"No."

"She is family!"

Leah let out a humorless laugh. "That bitch isn't my family anymore. Family doesn't steal someone else's fiancé. Family doesn't ruin each other's life! I would be perfectly happy to never see her again!"

"I am highly disappointed in you!" He stood from the table, "Come on Seth, let's go see your cousin."

"I'm not going either."

"Excuse me?"

"She isn't my family anymore." Seth looked at his sister who was on the verge of tears, "She made her bed."

Before Harry could argue Sue spoke up. "The children are right, Harry. She needs to leave. I don't want her in this house."

"And where should she stay?"

"I'm sure Sam would let her stay at his house." Leah muttered.

Her parents ignored her, "I don't care. She can go home or to that boy's house. As long as she is not here."

"Sam is an important member in this tribe. He is thinking of joining the council. She is family…"

"Why are you defending them?" Leah asked suddenly cutting her sputtering father off. "When we started dating you threatened that if Sam ever hurt me there would be nothing left of him to find. What happened to that man?"

"I…"

"What aren't you telling us, Harry?" Sue asked, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, unity is important…"

"Bull shit," Leah said standing up. "I can't listen to this anymore." She stormed out of the house, tears rushing down her face and her heart breaking all over again.

* * *

The summer passed slowly for Leah. She hadn't spoken to her father since the disastrous morning after her party. Her parents had been fighting and being home was just stressful.

Seth had tried to be as supportive as possible. He dragged Jacob and Rachel over to do a video game marathon with her. He shut down any talk about Emily and Sam. He even went an entire week without talking to his father on principle, until Leah told him to forgive him. This was her fight.

Rachel had been amazing, even while dealing with her own tragedy. She returned home to find no sign of Rebecca except a note saying she had left with a made named Solomon Finau and would call when she could. There was still no word. They helped each other through the summer, ignoring the stares of others while trying to salvage whatever fun they could.

Sue was completely supportive. Try to her word she threw a trash bag filled with Emily's stuff at Harry when he left for the hospital. She argued with him nearly every day about his stance on the incident. She took Leah on shopping trips and gave her as much space as she needed.

Leah, however, still felt like she was drowning. No matter who she was with, people still starred and whispered. Talking about the broken Leah, the damaged girl. The tune of hatred for Emily changed to sympathy at the girl who was scarred for life. The horrible affair soon became a steamy love story.

It was after the fourth of July that Leah knew she needed out. Rachel would be leaving shortly for Washington State University and Leah knew she couldn't be left behind in this place. She sent out more applications and approached her mother on late July evening.

"I need to get out of here." She placed the acceptance letter for Oregon State University with a full scholarship on the table in front of her mother.

Sue looked up, "Let's get you out of here, baby."

* * *

Sue and Leah packed up Leah's belongings. Leah was noticeably happier knowing she had an escape. She spent her last night with Seth, Jacob and Rachel laughing as they stayed up all night. She awoke early the next morning, wanting to speak with her father before she left.

"You leave today."

"Yup," She said sitting down at the table across from him.

"I know you don't understand my stance in all of this. It's my duty."

"Your duty should be to me, not the couple that broke me. I don't care how important they have become in the tribe you are my father. I love you, but I don't understand and I'm not sure I forgive you."

She walked away. And only an hour later was in the car with Sue and Seth driving far away from her nightmare.

* * *

AN: Thanks for giving my first story a try! There will be multiple chapters and the next chapter will jump ahead to New Moon time. Let me know what you think in a review! :)


	2. I Never Thought I Would be Here Again

Disclaimer: All plots and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

* * *

**Chapter 2:**  
**I Never Thought I Would be Here Again **

**March 2006 **  
**About 2 years later**

Leah's Head

Leah smiled as she placed Rachel's latest letter in the top drawer of her desk. She missed her best friend but they kept in touch through hilarious letters.

In the two years she had been away from La Push, Leah had grown. She was killing it in her medical classes, on track to become a nurse or even a doctor. She spoke to her mother at least once a day and Seth every week. She felt guilty not going home in almost two years, especially when she looked at her brother's aging photos, but knew it was better than watching what was supposed to be her life come to life with Emily as the star.

Seth has ranted some things to her during their conversations. The moment Leah left Sam and Emily flaunted their relationship without guilt. Emily even went as far as trying to get in with Sue and Seth again, without getting very far. He latest stunt was crashing his fourteenth birthday, unfortunately she mixed up the say he was spending with his friend for the day he was spending with his family and ended up amongst a group of teen boys cliff diving.

Sam also had a pretty large gang going. Rachel ranted that her idiot little brother was following the moron around, information she learned from her father as she hadn't returned home wither. She found it too painful to go back home knowing little of where her twin was. About a year ago she got a call, Rebecca married the guy and was somewhere in Hawaii.

Seth had mentioned Sam's gang as well. Apparently Jacob, Paul, Jared, Quil and Embry followed the man around with little clothing. The rumor was steroids as they all seemed to grow two feet overnight.

Leah wasn't too concerned with La Push. She loved college, for the most part. She hated her freshman year roommate, but was now living in a single dorm. She found the classes challenging and enjoyed playing sports on the weekends. She didn't plan on ever going back to La Push until her father called.

* * *

She had rarely spoken to her father since she left for university. They spoke on holidays and birthdays. He was forbidden to speak of Sam and Emily since a conversation a month after she left when he pushed her to invite her cousin up for a visit. They didn't speak until Christmas nearly three months later.

Leah had just finished her last study session when her phone went off. Finals were coming up and she almost let it ring. Seth would understand, until she saw her father's name flash across the screen. In slight panic she answered the phone, "Hello."

"Leah," Her father's gruff voice greeted her, "It's your father."

"Hey, is something wrong?"

"No, I just had a favor to ask."

"Okay."

"My 50th birthday is coming up and your mother is throwing a party. It would mean a lot if you could come. Everyone is going to be there."

"Everyone?"

Her father sighed on the other end, "If you come I'll make sure they don't. Please, I miss my Princess."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. "Let me see what I can do, I call later." She hung up before he could say another word.

* * *

She made it through her finals with her father's request invading her mind. She would be lying if she said she wasn't intrigued. She missed her family and with a guarantee of no Emily or Sam it was almost too good to pass up. She looked at flights that night and was thankful that she had a long spring break to play with.

"Hello?"

"Mom, its Leah."

"Leah! How are you sweetie?"

"I'm good." She smiled, "I thought about Dad's offer and decided to come. My spring break starts next week. My plane leaves at noon on Saturday."

"Oh Leah!" Her mother gushed and Leah let her rattle on with excitement for an hour before claiming she had to pack. Her mother let her go and Leah smiled, the prodigal daughter was ready to head home.

* * *

Leah adjusted her carry-on bag as she moved towards baggage claim. Her mother assured her that she and Seth would be waiting for her. She scanned the crowd quickly spotting her mother and was in shock at the young man standing next to her.

"Leah!" They called in unison embracing her in their arms. Leah smiled at them, finding herself eye level with her fourteen year old brother.

"What are you feeding him?" She joked as Seth grabbed her luggage off the carousal. He wrapped an arm around her as they headed out to the car. It felt good to be home.

The trio laughed nonstop on the way home. Discussing every topic from Leah's schooling to Seth's schooling to the latest La Push gossip. Leah was surprised to find out that the Cullens had left, they had always given her a strange feeling.

Leah was shocked when she entered the house. Her mother was going all out for the party to be held tomorrow afternoon. She had Seth and Leah drop Leah's bags in the living room before shooing them out of the house so she could focus on cooking.

Leah and Seth made their way to the beach, racing each other. There weren't many people around when they arrived and Leah took in the sound of the crashing waves. She stood in peace until Seth splashed her with water starting a war.

The siblings continued splashing around until a voice grabbed their attention, "Hey Seth!"

"Jake!" Seth called happily pulling Leah out of the water. Seth had mentioned to Leah that none of the guys really talked to him since joining Sam's gang, "What's up man?"

Leah looked to see Jacob approaching them. He wasn't the scrawny fourteen year old she remembered. If she thought Seth had grown she was sadly mistaken. Jacob was huge and dragging the dull Bella Swan behind him.

"Just showing Bella around…" He suddenly stopped talking seeming to notice Leah for the first time, "Leah? Is that you?"

"One and only," She said as he moved away from Bella to give her a hug. Seth threw her a quizzical look and she shrugged. She and Jacob had never really been close but for some reason the hug felt right.

"It's good to see you again," He smiled as Bella called to him. "Oh right, Bells this is Leah Clearwater." Bella merely nodded her head pulling on Jacob's arm, "We have to get going, but I'll see you at the party tomorrow!"

"That was weird," Seth said as they disappeared and Leah shrugged. Her eyes caught someone jumping off a cliff in the distance and she paled. Seth followed her eyes to Sam's gang, "Come on, let's get home."

She allowed her brother to pull her away. She suddenly felt like crap. She was hot and fatigued. When they got home she claimed to feel ill and retired to bed. Her last thought was of Jacob as she fell asleep.

* * *

When she woke up the next morning she was confused. She found a note on her mirror from her mom. Seth and Sue had already left for the beach. She needed to get her father there by noon. Her bedroom clock told her it was already eleven. She quickly took a shower before drying and curling her hair. She applied light make up and grabbed a sapphire blue dress from her closet.

She was shocked when the dress was shorter than she remembered. She couldn't remember the last time she had a growth spurt. She wrote it off slipping into some flats and discarding her sweater still feeling hotter than normal.

When she made her way downstairs she found her father waiting at the table, "Hi, Dad."

Her father rose quickly and smiled, "Leah. I've missed you so much."

In her father's embrace she forgave him, "I missed you too."

"I am so sorry. I should have never listened to the council. You are the most important thing to me."

"We can start over," She said with a smile. "Back to the way it used to be, but right now we need to get to your birthday."

Harry smiled lacing their arms together and making their way to the beach.

* * *

The party was underway when they arrived but everyone turned their attention to them once they arrived. Sue was snapping pictures gushing that everything was perfect again.

Everything seemed perfect to Leah until a couple stepped up to great her father.

"Happy birthday, Uncle Harry!" Emily and Sam now stood in her path, Emily wearing a purple dress similar to the one she wore so long ago. Her face was now scarred beyond repair and her hand was wrapped tightly in Sam's.

Leah detached herself from her father as he called out to her, "Princess, I swear I told them not to come."

She kissed her father's cheek but retreated into the crowd, letting her disfigured cousin be the center of attention yet again.

* * *

She picked up another rock and chucked it into the waves. Both Seth and Sue had checked on her. She assured them she was fine and would rejoin the party shortly. That was over an hour ago, but she wasn't willing to take the chance that she would come face to face with them again.

"You call that a throw, Clearwater?"

She turned her eyes meeting those of Jacob Black, "Not all of us are a part of Sam's steroid gang."

"Ouch," He said sitting beside her in the sand. Despite the situation she suddenly felt better. "One I'm not on drugs and two I'm not a Sam lover either."

"You sure? Even Rach knows of your new group."

"The tribe thinks…"

She let out a humorless laugh, "I'm getting sick of that response. The tribe thinks, please. If the tribe thinks Sam is a role model then I'm really glad I escaped to Oregon."

"You don't think Sam is a leader?" Her snort answered him, "You're right, stupid question. Maybe things will change."

"Maybe," She said throwing another rock, "But I don't plan to be around long enough to see it."

They sat in silence for a moment, "Come back to the party, everyone misses you."

"Sure."

"I'll even run Sam and Emily interference."

She considered it for a moment, "If they get within ten feet I'll set Rachel on you."

He laughed standing to help her up, "Deal."

* * *

The party was actually fun. She spent the night with Seth and Jacob, and to his promise was not approached by the golden couple. She danced with her father and mother stepping back into the perfect daughter role she abandoned years ago.

The bonfire burned late into the night, Sam's gang polishing off most of the food. Everyone sat around the bonfire eating cake and exchanging stories about Harry.

Leah found herself lounging against Jacob and Seth listening to the stories with a smile. She felt Emily's eyes on her but never glanced her way.

It was hours later and long after she fell asleep that she was jolted awake. She opened her eyes to find herself being carried. She panicked slightly and the arms tightened around her.

"Relax, Leah." Jacob's voice sounded. "You are almost home, just relax."

"Seth?"

"I'm here, Lee."

For some reason Jacob's voice combined with his scent was soothing. "You feeling okay, kid?" Jacob asked Seth once Leah's eyes were closed.

"Yeah, I think I have Leah's fever."

Whatever they said next slipped away as Leah fell back into darkness.

* * *

"You can't be here!" Seth's voice startled her awake. She rubbed her eyes against the afternoon sun, "I said get out!"

She jumped up and hurried down the stairs at her brother's voice. She stepped onto the front porch where her family was gathered along with Sam and Emily, holding a basket of muffins.

"Leah!" Emily called happily as she flung her arms around her cousin, "Welcome home!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Leah…"

"I said I never wanted to see you again!" She pushed the pair off the porch and into her front yard. Her parents and brother called to her but when Sam spoke there was no calling her back.

"Lee-Lee…"

"Don't. Call. Me. That." Leah was shaking and felt hotter than she ever had before. Her vision started to blur and pain spread across her body. She felt like she was going to explode, and then she did.

* * *

She was running, paws hitting against the forest floor. This had to be a dream. A nightmare. She was still sleeping.

"_Leah Clearwater?!"_

_ "No way!"_

_ "But she is a girl!"_

_ "Does Sam know?"_

_ "She's a girl!"_

Her head was pounding as the voices continued. She stopped running and dropped to the ground in pain.

_"Enough, quiet!"_ A voice, Sam's, made all the wolves fall silent. Suddenly another voice joined in.

_"Who phased?"_ Jacob, suddenly her head wasn't throbbing anymore.

_ "Leah."_

She could feel Jacob's shock and confusion, but then only a rush of comfort, _"It's going to be okay, Lee."_

_ "When did you two become so close?"_

_ "Now is not the time, Sam."_

_ "I am your alpha…"_ He stopped suddenly as Leah felt a flutter in her mind, _"Who is that now?"_

_ "Dad. Dad. Dad dead. Leah hurt. Dad dead."_

_ "Seth?"_ Four shocked voices called as a small sandy wolf collided with Leah.

_"Stay where you are,"_ Jake said in their mind, _"I'm coming to you."_

Leah was no longer paying attention. She could feel Seth's panic and sadness. Her father was dead. She let out a heart wrenching howl which was echoed by her brothers who ran faster to reach the heart broken siblings.

* * *

It took Sam and Jacob seconds to find the pair. The rest of the pack was close behind.

_"Leah, Seth you two need to phase back. Think calm thoughts…"_

_ "Don't tell me what to do, Sam."_

_ "Stay the hell away from her," _Seth put himself between Sam and Leah.

_ "Wow! Little Seth challenging the alpha on the first day."_

_ "Looks like we got a feisty pair here."_

_ "She's a girl!"_

_ "Would you all shut up?" _Jacob asked, and the group quieted._ "Sam, why don't you phase out."_

_ "I am alpha!"_

_ "That may be true but you are just stressing them out. Besides if something happened to Harry Emily will need you."_

The pack was bombarded with images of Sam and Emily resulting in growls from the Clearwater siblings. Sam hung his head as he phased out, pulling on his shorts and disappearing into the woods.

_ "Alright. Quil and Embry go find them some clothes. Jared go to the Clearwater house and stay with Sue. Paul alert the council."_

They all dispersed leaving the three of them in the clearing, _"I need you two to try and relax. I know it is hard but relax and picture yourself as a human."_

A moment passed and suddenly Seth was naked lying on the forest floor breathing heavily. _"You can do it, Lee. Just breathe."_

Another moment passed and finally Leah was back in her human form. Her body felt weak as she laid on the floor. Jake soon phased out pulling on his own shorts. Embry and Quil ran into the clearing tossing clothing to Jake. He handed the shorts to Seth and a purple dress to Leah. Leah recognized the dress immediately as the one she lent Emily years ago. She pulled it on with a scowl watching her brother breathing heavily next to her.

"What happened?" She asked weakly looking up at Jacob.

"I can explain later." He pulled them both up keeping an arm wrapped around Leah's shoulders, "But right now we have to get home and find out what is wrong with your Dad."

The siblings grasped for each other's hands. Leah wasn't sure what was happening to her but at the moment she didn't care. She had just gotten her father back and wasn't ready to lose him yet.

* * *

Jacob's Head

Jacob didn't know what was happening to him. Ever since Leah had returned home he was drawn to her. He didn't imprint, he knew that based on being in Sam's head. However, Leah was certainly becoming a popular topic in his mind.

The party last night had been amazing. They had a great time together and she looked angelic as she slept in his arms… Stop it! He couldn't be thinking like this. This was Leah Clearwater. Rachel's best friend. Sam's ex. This had to stop.

He heard a howl in the distance, followed by another. What could be going wrong now? He quickly ran outside and phased trying to catch up with his pack brothers.

There was chaos in the pack mind which usually only meant one thing,_ "Who phased?"_ Jacob felt something, a strange pull.

_ "Leah."_

That couldn't be possible. When Seth mentioned a fever last night Jake assumed he would be joining them within the week but never Leah. He felt her pain and confusion, _"It's going to be okay, Lee."_

_ "When did you two become so close?"_ Really Sam, now?

_ "Now is not the time, Sam."_

_ "I am your alpha…"_ Jacob mentally rolled his eyes when he felt another flutter, _"Who is that now?"_

_ "Dad. Dad. Dad dead. Leah hurt. Dad dead."_

_ "Seth?"_ No, no, no. Not him too. Jacob picked up speed needing to get to the siblings. Leah was a mess and Seth was hysterical. Jacob could only prey that Seth was confused and nothing had really happened to Harry.

_"Stay where you are,"_ Jake said getting a hit on their location, _"I'm coming to you."_

Leah let out a heart wrenching howl which was echoed by the others. Jacob picked up his pace, the distance closing in. He needed to make sure she was okay. He had to make it okay again.

* * *

Only seconds later Jacob found them. The gray and sandy wolves wrapped around each other, his heart breaking. Suddenly Sam's voice was in his head.

_"Leah, Seth you two need to phase back. Think calm thoughts…"_

_ "Don't tell me what to do, Sam."_ Leah wasn't having any of it.

_ "Stay the hell away from her," _Seth put himself between Sam and Leah.

_ "Wow! Little Seth challenging the alpha on the first day."_

_ "Looks like we got a feisty pair here."_

_ "She's a girl!"_

_ "Would you all shut up?" _Jacob asked, and the group quieted. He needed to get Sam away from them and he needed to get the other four idiots to shut up._ "Sam, why don't you phase out."_

_ "I am alpha!"_

_ "That may be true but you are just stressing them out. Besides if something happened to Harry Emily will need you."_ He rolled his eyes decided to change tactics. There was no talking down Sam's ego, but he couldn't deny Emily.

The pack was bombarded with images of Sam and Emily resulting in growls from the Clearwater siblings. Jake suddenly felt bad that he added to their pain. Sam hung his head as he phased out, pulling on his shorts and disappearing into the woods.

_ "Alright. Quil and Embry go find them some clothes. Jared go to the Clearwater house and stay with Sue. Paul alert the council."_

He was surprised when they all responded so quickly. They all dispersed leaving the three of them in the clearing, _"I need you two to try and relax. I know it is hard but relax and picture yourself as a human."_

A moment passed and suddenly Seth was naked lying on the forest floor breathing heavily. _"You can do it, Lee. Just breathe."_

Another moment passed and finally Leah was back in her human form. Jake phased out immediately pulling on his own shorts. He reached the siblings as Embry and Quil ran into the clearing tossing clothing to Jake. He handed the shorts to Seth and a purple dress to Leah. Leah scowled as she pulled on the dress, looking only at Seth.

"What happened?" She asked weakly finally meeting Jake's eyes.

"I can explain later." He pulled them both up keeping an arm wrapped around Leah's shoulders. He needed to feel her near him, he need to know she was okay, "But right now we have to get home and find out what is wrong with your Dad."

The siblings grasped for each other's hands. Jacob kept a hold on them as they made their way back to the Clearwater residence. He needed Harry to be okay. He needed them to be okay, but most importantly he needed Leah to know that if things weren't okay he was here to try and fix it.

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review. If there is interest in the story I will post another chapter tomorrow!


	3. Some Secrets are Best Left Alone

AN: Thank you everyone for your reviews! They meant a lot. I tried to take the advice and avoid repetition in this chapter. This chapter is the longest and had to be cut down so hopefully the next part can be up soon. Let me know what you think and enjoy!

Disclaimer: All plots and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I make no profit and am just playing with the characters for my own enjoyment.

* * *

**Chapter 3:**  
**Some Secrets are Best Left Alone**

Jacob's Head

Fortunately for them in their chaos the newly phased wolves ran in a circle rather than covering a large distance. Both siblings held a blank stare as Jacob led them back to their childhood home. He had sent Embry and Quil ahead to help Jared with Sue. As she was not a member of the council she was kept in the dark, Harry having been forbidden from telling his wife anything. Jacob wasn't looking forward to the wrath of Sue Clearwater, who had possibly just lost her husband and had her two children phase into wolves.

Jacob could hear sobbing before the Clearwater house came into view. He tightened his arm around Leah as they left the cover of the trees. Jared, Paul, Embry and Quil were standing to the side with Old Quil. Billy was trying to console a crying Sue. Suddenly, Jacob found himself wanting her wrath rather than her pain.

"Seth, Leah!" She cried moving away from Billy and taking her children in her arms, "Are you hurt?"

"No," Leah answered for the siblings as Seth seemed to be in shock. "Where's Dad?"

Sue ran a hand through her daughters messy hair, "Go get changed. They took him to the hospital. We will leave in five."

The siblings hurried into the house to grab fresh clothes while Old Quil approached Sue. "You can't take those two into town right now."

Jacob watched the train wreck, "Excuse me?" Sue's voice rose in pitch and the pack winced as she turned to face Old Quil. "My husband is in the hospital. My children have transformed into wolves. _Wolves._" Her voice was getting louder, "You had my husband lying to me for two years as I watched my daughter's heart be broken and lost her to her need to escape. Now, my husband may be lying dead in the hospital and you expect me to not bring my children to say goodbye to their father."

"You don't understand, we must protect the tribe."

"No you don't understand. I need to protect my family as much as I can from this mess you and your leadership have caused."

"I will not be spoken to like this!"

"Enough," Billy interrupted the pair. "The some of the pack will escort the Clearwaters to the hospital. They can keep an eye on them."

"They couldn't even catch the signs of them phasing," Old Quil argued.

"They weren't showing signs." Jacob interrupted stepping forward. "Seth had a fever last night that he thought he got from Leah. I was planning on keeping an eye on him. Leah had a fever for days but we never thought to watch her for the change."

Old Quil huffed in defeat as Billy turned to his son, "You drive the Clearwaters to the hospital. Jared and Embry can drive with me. Paul and Quil can stay here and make sure everything is safe."

"Does Sam know?" Old Quil asked.

"Yeah, he went home to Emily." Jacob answered as Sue piped in.

"They will not be at the hospital. This day has been hard enough on my children."

"Agreed," Billy said as the pair emerged from the house. "Let's get moving."

Jared helped Billy into the passenger side of his truck as Embry climbed into the back. Seth and Leah climbed into the backseat of Sue's car, Leah keeping an arm around her brother. Jacob took the offered keys from Sue. Even without his official driver's license he was the safer choice at the moment.

The ride was completely silent. Sue's sobs had subsided in the presence of her children. Seth sniffled every so often and Leah would tighten her hold on the boy. Jacob caught Leah's eyes in the rear view mirror briefly before she looked away.

They pulled up into Forks hospital alongside the Black's truck. Everyone climbed out and followed Sue into the hospital. They stood back as Sue talked to the woman sitting at the front desk.

"I'm here for Harry Clearwater. He was brought in an ambulance."

"Alright, Mrs. Clearwater." The woman gave away nothing with her kind expression, "You and your family can just sit in the waiting room and the doctor will be with you momentarily." She looked slightly shocked to see the five unusually tall teens waiting behind the stoic woman, but let it go as she pointed out the waiting area.

Sue sat in a chair on the end allowing Billy to stay by her right side. Seth left his sister's arms to sit with their mother. Jared and Embry took a step back to give the family some space, leaving Jacob and Leah standing against the wall across from their parents.

He reached out to touch her arm and she flinched away, "Sorry." He apologized silently scolding himself. Seventy-two hours ago he hadn't thought about his sister's best friend in almost two years. Now he couldn't explain the draw he had to her and needed to remind himself that not only may she not feel the same but was experiencing one of the worst days of her life. Right up there with the day she found out about Sam and Emily's affair.

"Me too," She responded in a quiet voice a few moments later. He watched her closely as her eyes refused to look anywhere else but the floor. She had changed from the purple sundress to a pair of shorts and a black tee. She used her long hair to hide her face from those around her.

"It's going to be okay, Leah. I promise."

She snorted in disbelief but finally turned to meet his eyes. "Promise me one thing, Jacob."

His heart pounded as she let him rub a comforting hand up and down her arm, "Anything."

"After we find out about my father you tell me what the hell is going on. I want the truth. I deserve the truth."

"I promise." He said looking into her eyes. She nodded and Jacob watched herself close herself off again as they waited for the doctor.

* * *

Leah's Head

She turned away from Jacob once again letting her walls build back up. She crossed her arms over her chest, careful of the movement. The black tee was a lot tighter than she remembered and the shorts were resting a couple inches higher on her legs.

Jacob's contact had been soothing, but she wasn't sure she wanted the storm of emotions raging inside her calmed. She was confused, angry, worried and scared. She was afraid if she let him comfort her in the moment, that bad news from the doctor would make the fall into despair that much harder to deal with. At least now she was half way there.

Her skin no longer felt like she was on fire, but it was still too hot in the waiting room for her liking. She kept an eye on Seth and her mother from the corner of her eye as they waited. Her mind wandered back to the scene on the porch. Waking up disoriented in her bed after being carried home by Jacob. Hurrying downstairs to find her traitor cousin and ex-fiancé standing on her front porch. The fire and tingling taking over her skin, her vision blurring, opening her eyes to see she had fur. Her mother screaming. Sam trying to pull Emily back. Seth's distressed cry over their fallen father who was clutching his chest. Taking off only to have her brother follow after her moments later…

"Family for Harry Clearwater," A voice called and everyone's head snapped to take in the doctor.

Sue stood and made her way over, pushing Seth to stand near Leah, "I'm Sue Clearwater, his wife."

"Can we talk for a moment in private?" The doctor looked around at the large crowd. Leah knew what was coming, but could feel the hopeful waves spilling off of Seth as he clutched her arm. She looked to Jacob, giving her a comforting stare.

"We are all family here."

The doctor nodded and suddenly his face fell into a mask of compassion. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but your husband died as a result of a myocardial infarction. We tried to revive him twice. They were successful in the ambulance, however, he crashed again in the emergency room. I'm so sorry, but if you will follow me we can discuss the next steps in my option."

Sue tried to look stoic as she nodded following the doctor giving her children a comforting look, as much of one as she could muster. Billy rolled after her talking quietly to Jake as he passed, "Take care of them. We will be out soon. Have someone get word to the others."

Leah turned her attention to her sobbing brother as Jacob gave out orders, "Jared find a phone and call back to the reservation and let them know the news." Leah felt her body begin to shake as she tried to stay strong for her brother, "Shit. Embry stay with Seth."

Leah felt Jacob tear her away from her brother and pull her into her arms. He moved them quickly outside ignoring Leah's protest, "Let me go, let me go!"

He moved her further away from the hospital, into a small patch of trees before releasing her, "I'm sorry. I couldn't risk you phasing in there."

Leah didn't hear his apology as she fell onto the grass, letting out the gut retching sob she held in trying to be strong for Sue and Seth.

* * *

Jacob's Head

Jacob watched as Leah fell to the ground feeling his heart break into a million pieces. She wasn't shaking with the anger of a phase but the pain of trying to remain strong. He quickly moved to drop beside her on the ground and take her into his arms.

"It's okay, you're okay. I got you." He pulled her face against his chest and rocked them slightly. "Let it out. It's just us, you don't have to be strong here."

"It's my fault."

He barely heard her through the muffle of his shirt, "What?!"

"He had a heart attack because I turned into a monster!"

He pulled her pack slightly so she was looking into his eyes. "None of this is your fault," He used his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Your father loved you more than anything and wouldn't want to see you like this. Please believe me, no one blames you."

"But…"

"No buts," He whipped away the last of her tears and pulled her up. "Let's get you back to Sue and Seth. We will take you home and figure things out from there."

She seemed to calm down a bit after crying and nodded. "Thank you." She moved away from him and back towards the hospital, "I still expect an explanation."

"You will get one," He promised following her back into the hospital while resisting the urge to hold her hand.

* * *

Leah's Head

For some reason Jacob had the ability to trick Leah into feeling like everything was okay. Even among the mess that was her life right now, she felt better knowing he was near. She rubbed her hands against her cheeks before reentering the hospital waiting room.

"Lee!" Seth called as he moved away from Embry and Jared. She caught her brother in a hug.

"It's okay. Seth." He held him tight before directing her attention to the others. "Have my mom and Billy come back?"

They looked shocked as she addressed them. She couldn't remember the last time she had spoken to either of them before this moment. Probably in some quick passing the summer before she left for college, back when her brother would hang out with them. Jared finally answered, "They should be back in a moment."

She nodded as she wrapped an arm around her brother's shoulder waiting with the others. She felt Jacob watching her but let it go deciding to focus solely on her brother.

Sue returned with Billy looking solemn. Seth moved back to comfort his mother as Billy spoke, "Let's get back to the Clearwater's."

They piled back into the cars in silence. Leah watched the scenery passed as they made their way back onto the reservation. She heard Seth growl and realized she was day dreaming. She came back into focus to find Sam and Emily sitting on her front porch alongside Paul.

"Leah!" Her mother called as she climbed out of the car before it was parked. She hurried towards the pair growling.

"What do you think you are doing here?"

"Please, Leah!" Emily said standing despite Sam trying to hold her back. "Harry is my family too!"

"You forfeited family rights the minute you slept with _him_," She snarled as Paul grabbed onto her, pulling her back. "Let me go! Let me go right now, Lahote!"

"You need to calm down before you phase and hurt her!" Paul called as Sam tried to pull Emily behind his back. She heard Jared and Embry running from the car, Seth crying out and Jacob telling Paul to let her go.

"Leah please!" Emily called from the porch.

"He is dead, Emily! Are you happy?" Leah snarled as Emily looked like she had been slapped. "My father is dead! My father who I hadn't seen in two years because I couldn't stand to stay here and watch you flaunt your new life is dead!" Emily stopped fighting Sam and let out a sob, "Let. Me. Go!"

She kicked at Paul until he dropped her, "Bitch." He muttered as Jacob pulled her closer to him. Emily was trying to reach Sue who wanted nothing to do with her niece.

"Emily please leave, this has been an emotional day." She walked past the crying girl and into the house. Emily collapsed into Sam's arms and he tried to comfort her.

"Paul, get them out of here now." Pail nodded to Billy, throwing an angry look at Leah as he passed. She was still seething in Jacob's arms as Paul escorted the golden couple off her property.

"Embry and Jared go and fetch Old Quil so we can start making preparations. Seth, why don't you and I go check on your mother?" Seth nodded heading into the house as Jared and Embry took off, "See if you can get her to calm down."

Jacob nodded as Billy followed Seth into the house. Jacob waited until they were alone before releasing her, "You can't let them get to you like that."

"Don't tell me what I can or can't do!" She snarled moving out of his reach and pacing.

"If you get to angry you will phase." She growled but didn't respond, "She was his family too."

"Yeah and she got the past two years here with him."

"He wouldn't see her. Unless the council made him. He didn't have any more contact with them then he had to."

She started crying again at his words. Her father trying to show loyalty any way he could at the time. She cried for the lost time she would never get back. Jacob let her cry for a few minutes, letting her calm herself down before speaking again.

"I know it sucks to see them, but you will. It is better if you don't let them get to you."

"I'm working on it!"

"I know it's not easy," He said holding up his hands in surrender, "But you will be really happy soon, Lee. I promise."

She snorted but let it go, "You still owe me an explanation."

He nodded, "I bet Seth and Sue want one soon. Come on inside, Old Quil will be here soon and I'll give you all the answers you are looking for."

* * *

Leah nodded to Jacob, following him into the house at a promise of an explanation. She cursed herself for the reaction she had. She knew she had to work on it, but right now she wasn't in the state of mind to be too angry at her actions.

Billy, Seth and Sue were seated around the kitchen table. A pile of sandwiches quickly being devoured by Seth.

"You okay?" He asked through a mouth full of food alerting their arrival.

"Yeah," She said as Sue handed her a sandwich. She gave a silent look of support and an order to eat. She handed one to Jacob as well as they sat down. "So, what's the story?"

"Wait for Old Quil," Billy said leaving Leah to roll her eyes. She ate her sandwich in silence, relieved when the old man finally showed up.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Old Quil said as he took a seat at the table. Leah could hear the others outside. Jared, Embry and Quil talking amongst themselves. She hadn't noticed how sharp her senses had become.

"Thank you," Sue said nodding her head. "What we really need right now is the truth."

"Of course," Old Quil nodded looking between the three. "You all have grown up hearing the legends of our tribe. Although I doubt any of you have considered the truth behind them."

"That my children now turn into wolves?"

"Yes. The young of our tribe begin the change when they are needed. When our ancestors spirits call them to duty. To protect our people against the cold ones."

"Like vampires?" Seth's voice asked between bites of sandwich.

"Yes. A coven had been living near us for years. Its large size prompted a change…"

"The Cullens." Leah's voice sounded around the table.

"Yes." He didn't question how she knew. Many people were wary of the family who lived near, or used to at least. "It prompted a change two years ago starting with Sam Uley." Leah's head spun as the events of two years ago played in her head like a movie. His disappearance, his lack of emotion, and finally his affair. "He was soon joined by Paul and Jared."

"Sam's gang." Seth said as the others nodded. He wasn't running a gang of steroid addicted teens, but a pack of shape shifters.

"Jacob joined in February, followed by Embry and Quil." Embry's mother wasn't from here, which led to the awkward and unanswered question of who his father was.

"The Cullens are gone now, why would my children change if there are no more cold ones to protect the people from?" Sue asked.

"There have been some nomads in the area." Jacob answered, "We came across one recently looking for Bella because of her close relations with the Cullens."

"The brat wants a dead boyfriend so I have to turn into a wolf?" Leah questioned with anger. She was surprised when Jacob didn't jump to Bella's defense. "So what does this mean for us?"

"This is the largest pack in history. Your current alpha is Sam, who will sort out patrols. You don't age when you phase and until you get everything under control you are required to stay on the reservation. Leah you are truly unique as there has never been a female wolf before."

"Great, I'm a freakier freak among freaks."

Old Quil ignored her, "Besides your duties to your people there is the concept of imprinting." Jacob's breath hitched, "It's basically like finding your soul mate. Your world revolves around that person. It is rare, however, one wolf has already…"

"You have to be kidding me!" Leah exclaimed slightly hysterical. "Sam and Emily? Not only am I a freak of nature but my fiancé left me because he found his wolf soul mate?"

"Young lady, please! It is more important than that. It helps preserve the genes."

"Whatever," She pushed her away from the table and stood. "I leave for Oregon in ten days so I won't be taking part in this freak show."

"Weren't you listening, girl?" Old Quil raised his voice, "You have a duty to your people; you cannot leave."

Her vision blurred as she rushed out the back door. Her clothes shredded as she phased in her backyard. She howled loudly. For her first love lost. For the death of her father. For the lies that had torn her family apart. For the freedom she had lost.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed! Review if you can, I love to hear your thoughts! The next chapter is mostly done, so if I get a good response I should have it up quickly! Enjoy the weekend! :)


	4. Running From Nightmares

AN: Sorry for the late update. School officially starts for me again tomorrow so my writing time has been compromised. I also have a personal matter that needs to be handled this week. However, I do hope to update every other day at the latest! Your reviews have been so amazing and keep me writing! To those who reviewed every chapter thank you so much for your thoughts. To other one time reviewers I was so glad to hear from you as well. Reading the reviews I actually contemplated having Harry live, but I needed Sue to get on the council for the story to progress a bit. There might be some slight OOC in this chapter, but remember they are going through a tough time and things are being a bit blurred for the story. Also these characters are in a different situation which changes their reactions. Keep reviewing, I love hearing what you think!

Disclaimer: All recognized plots and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Just borrowing the characters for fun.

* * *

**Chapter 4:  
Running From Nightmares**

Jacob's Head

"Leah!" Seth called after his sister watching her phase from the kitchen window. Jacob placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him in his seat.

"The guys are outside and will keep an eye on here. Give her some time to run off steam, it's a lot to take in." He tried to hide the worried look in his eyes from the kid, he would wait a few minutes and then go check on her himself.

Seth nodded at Jacob as everyone turned their attention back to the table. "What do you mean my children have a duty now? What type of duty?"

"They are our protectors. When the cold ones come, they take care of them."

"Vampires! You want my children fighting vampires?"

"We haven't come across many." Jacob said brave enough to answer the raging Clearwater matriarch.

"Then why are there so many of you? And why did Leah phase, you said there has never been a female shifter in our history."

"The Cullens are our best guess," Billy answered quietly, "And as to Leah phasing we do not know."

"Yet you allow them to stay."

"We have a treaty with those particular cold ones. If they refrain from biting humans they are permitted to stay."

"What do they hunt?" Seth asked with a confused look on face.

"Animals," Jacob answered.

"Oh, this just keeps getting weirder." Seth mumbled sinking further into his seat.

"And who is in charge here? You can't just let children run around unattended as wolves."

"The alpha," Old Quil answered, "Sam."

"Sam," Sue's lips grew thin and if it was possible Seth seemed to sink even further into the chair. "This is what changed him isn't it. And Harry knew?"

"Harry wasn't allowed to tell anyone," Billy answered softly coming to his friend's defense. "He fought with the council every day for permission to tell you what was going on."

"Who does know what is going on?"

"The council," Billy answered, "And the parents of those chosen to protect."

"Not all of them," Jacob mumbled. "Embry's mother has no idea."

"She is not a part of this tribe."

"But her son is," Sue said. "Her son is out protecting the people from vampires. What happens if he doesn't come home?" Both men were silent, "Well. I plan on taking Harry's place on the council and we can discuss some finer details then. Now if you don't mind it has been a long day and I have a funeral to plan."

Sue stood from the table and exited the room. "Seth, I'll be by tomorrow to check on you guys. Old Quil and I are going to spend tonight looking through the legends, see if we can find some clue to why Leah phased. Jake, take care of them."

Billy and Old Quil began to gather their things as Jacob led Seth out of the kitchen. "I'm going to check on your sister, I need you to stay here. One of the guys is going to stay with you, any preference?"

"Not really." The kid looked tired and Jacob nodded patting him on the back. He watched as Seth settled himself down in the living room before moving outside to talk to the others.

Embry, Jared and Quil were sitting on the front porch dejected. "Where's Leah?"

"We don't know," Quil answered looking up at Jacob.

"What do you mean you don't know? Didn't any of you follow her? She is newly phased!"

"We tried! She yelled at us to 'leave her the hell alone.'" Embry answered quickly.

"And you listened?"

"It felt like we had no other choice!" Jared defended himself as Jacob rolled his eyes.

"You three are just afraid of her. Embry and Quil stay and watch Seth, Jared make sure that my dad and Old Quil get home okay."

Jacob took off at a jog towards the woods, tying his shirt and shorts to the cord around his ankle as Quil yelled at his back, "Who put you in charge?"

"Do any of you want to go after her?" He didn't wait for them to answer as he phased and took off following her scent.

* * *

Leah's Head

She ran quickly to get out of the claustrophobic kitchen. Everything was suffocating her in there and she couldn't listen to Old Quil ramble on for another moment.

She ran around the back of the house to the front, shaking as she moved. She felt like she was on the verge of phasing as Jacob's idiot watch dogs noticed her from the front porch.

"Leah! Hey are you okay?" Embry asked standing up.

"I'm fine!" She gritted out turning to face them. "Do not follow me, I mean it." She turned and felt her clothing rip as she took off at a run away from the stunned boys.

Running in her wolf form felt freeing. Her paws pounded against the forest floor at a quick pace, accelerating her forward faster than she could imagine running as a human. Unlike her first phase her head was quiet and she was enjoying the peace.

_"Leah?"_ A voice invaded her mind interrupting her peace. It could have been anyone, but of course it had to be the one person she couldn't stand.

_"Get out of my head, Sam!"_

_ "Where are you? Is anyone there with you?"_

_ "Leave me alone!"_

_ "It's dangerous for you to be out here by yourself, Lee-Lee."_

_ "I don't need you to care about me or worry."_

_ "But I do Lee-Lee, I will always care about you."_

_ "Shut up! And do not call me that horrific nickname!"_

_ "You used to love that nickname."_

_ "Yeah, well I also thought I loved you so my head really must've been messed up. Speaking of my head, get the hell out of it."_

_ "Come on, Leah. It's time to leave the past behind us. We can be friends, I'm almost to you."_

_ "If you come near me I won't be held responsible for my actions. We are nothing Sam, just go back to your precious imprint and leave me alone."_

Images of Emily flooded their heads and Leah instantly regretted bringing her up, _"I'm sorry, I can't help it. She is my everything."_

_ "I don't care."_

_ "I wish you would forgive us."_

_ "I wish you would shut up."_

_ "She misses you."_

_ "I hope muffins and the consolation prize of my ex are enough to fill the hole."_

_ "What happened to you?"_

_ "Are you kidding me? You happened to me! You and my stupid cousin."_

_ "You know now that I couldn't help it. It was fate."_

_ "Fate separated us then, let it be so kind to separate us now."_

She tried to think about what Jacob told her about phasing back. She wanted to get out of this idiot's head. Her mind wandered a little to Jacob, how great he has been today.

_"What is going on between you and Black?"_

_ "What? Nothing! And it wouldn't be any of your business anyway."_

_ "I still feel responsible for you, Lee-Lee."_

_ "We'll don't! Now will you shut up! I can't concentrate with all your rambling." _

_ "No, we need to talk. You are going to be around. I want to fix our relationship. We can all be a family again, you and Emily can be best friends again." _

_ "I don't need friends. I'm not particularly fond of people. Now, shut up!"_

_ "I'm almost to you."_

_ "Stay the hell away, Sam."_

_ "Leah, Leah I command you to stay where you are."_

She felt a sudden weight on her shoulders holding her in place. She growled in frustration before feeling a bit of relief, _"Go. To. Hell."_ With greater concentration than she ever thought she possessed she phased out and fell on the forest floor exhausted and out of breath.

She groaned when she realized she shredded her clothes again, but with each passing second her eyes grew heavy and suddenly she didn't care.

* * *

Jacob's Head

_"How the hell did she…?"_

_ "Sam? Have you seen Leah?"_ Jacob was surprised to find Sam phased, and knew that if Leah had come across him the run probably hadn't calmed her down.

_ "She phased out a few minutes ago. She completely ignored me."_

_ "Most people try to."_

Sam growled at his ill attempted joke_, "Watch it."_

_ "Sorry, sorry. What do you mean?"_

_ "She ignored an alpha command."_

_ "Sam. That isn't possible."_

_ "I know." _The silence took over the pair, _"She was over by the cliffs last I could see."_

_ "I'll go find her. You should be with Emily,"_ Sometimes it was too easy to distract Sam. Just say her name. _"I'll find her. The council wants to have a meeting tomorrow followed by a bonfire sometime after Harry's funeral. They may be home waiting for you now. They left the Clearwater's a little while ago."_

Sam nodded. Jacob could sense he was apprehensive to leave him to find Leah but couldn't understand why,_ "You'll keep an eye on them tonight?"_

_ "Sure, sure. Let me know when the meeting is."_

_ "Of course,"_ Sam phased out leaving Jacob to run to the cliffs as fast as he could.

With no one in his head it was easier to focus on the task at hand. Run. Find Leah, now. In minutes he was approaching the cliffs overlooking the water. He saw a small form curled up near the edge.

He phased out, "Shit, Leah!"

He kneeled down next to her and realized she was breathing. He quickly looked her over for injured and found none. She was sleeping. He rolled his eyes as the panic faded away. The image of her lifeless on the ground would haunt him tonight. He pulled his shorts on and carefully maneuvered his tee shirt over her smaller form. He easily picked her up and cradle her against his chest, letting her breaths calm his still erratic heart.

He made his way back to the Clearwater house at a leisurely pace. There was no one to bother them and Leah was surprisingly light. The soft smile on her peaceful face made her seem more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen.

When he approached the house he heard Seth's panicked voice inside. He groaned and hurried up the porch to find Embry and Quil trying to calm Seth in the living room.

"She could be hurt!"

"Jacob is looking for her she will be fine, Seth."

"But what if…!"

"Seth," Jacob called quietly coming into the small room, "She is fine."

Seth hurried over, checking his sister over himself before believing him, "Is she sleeping?"

Jacob laughed a little, "Yeah, Found her by the cliffs. "Is her room upstairs?

"First door on the left." Jacob watch the three settle onto the couch as he moved upstairs. He pushed open the bedroom door, the room was painted in blues, browns and greens and seemed like a continuation of the outdoors. He laid her on the bed and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"Sleep tight, Lee."

He moved downstairs trying to shake Leah from his mind. She seemed to have invaded it. Her smile, her scowl, embedded in his thoughts. He shook his head as he entered the room and approached the teens on the couch.

"Quil and Embry, go check in with Sam. See if he needs you to run patrol. I promised to watch over them tonight."

The two nodded and said goodbye for Seth before leaving the house. Jacob settled onto the couch next to Seth, "Anything good on?"

"Is everything going to be okay?"

Jacob looked at the kid and nodded. Seth was only fourteen. Two years ago if Jacob had phased he probably would've lost his mind. Seth also just lost his father, "Depends. What do you have to eat?"

Jacob spent the rest of the night with Seth. Sue came down around seven brining bedding for the couch for Jacob. She made the boys some dinner, putting the leftovers away for Leah before retreating to bed. Jacob got Seth to smile a few times, letting him beat him at Mario Kart.

"You should probably get some sleep." Jacob suggested as Seth celebrated another win.

"Yeah, Thanks for today. And thanks for looking out for Leah, ever since Sam…"

"Anytime," He replied as Seth smiled. He watched the kid head upstairs before turning off the TV and setting up the couch to sleep.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked his messages. He sent a quick message to his dad telling him where he was. He sent Sam a confirmation text that he could bring the Clearwaters to the pack meeting at noon. Finally he looked at his missed calls. Seven missed calls from Bella.

To be honest he hadn't thought of her lately. He had been preoccupied he guessed but knew he should probably text her back. He sent a quick apology text and groaned as his phone vibrated with a call not a moment later.

"Hey Bells."

"Hey Bells? You didn't text me back all day!"

"Sorry. Things have been crazy here. Harry Clearwater died."

"Oh. That sucks. Maybe I should come to the funeral. My dad knew him right?"

"Yeah, but you don't have to come if you feel uncomfortable."

"No! You can take me and then we can hang out afterwards!"

An invitation to hang out with Bella Swan would've made him the happiest man on Earth seventy-two hours ago, but he couldn't imagine leaving Leah now. Seth too…

"I don't know, I might be needed here."

"Come on Jake! I need you."

Until your vampire comes back. "We will see how everything goes." He rolled his eyes at her squeal of satisfaction. "I'll talk to you later."

"Call me tomorrow! Maybe you can take me out. We can go to the beach again."

"We will see, bye Bells."

"Bye…" He closed the phone cutting her voice off. Suddenly the voice was too dull. To needy. Nothing like Leah. Her voice held power, yet she could show him vulnerability. He closed his eyes with a content smile as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Leah's Head

The aroma around her made her feel relaxed. A woodsy smell that was familiar. She turned in bed and it suddenly hit her. Jacob Black. Why did it smell like Jacob Black?

She opened her eyes confused. She had been at the cliffs. She looked down to see Jacob's shirt, letting her eyes drift to the window to take in the darkness. It had to be near midnight. The day came rushing back to her and she groaned, it hadn't been a nightmare.

She fought the tears as her stomach growled loudly. That she could fix. She reluctantly look of the shirt and folded it atop her dresser. She slipped into some pajama shorts and a tank before pulling her hair into a ponytail. She exited her bedroom quietly and made her way down the stairs.

A snore at the bottom of the stairs nearly stopped her heart. She moved cautiously over to the couch and observed the sleeping form. Jacob snored in his sleep, his dark eyes closed and his face peaceful. The sound was comforting as she moved into the kitchen. She pulled a container of leftover pasta out of the fridge and microwaved it. She opened the drawer and picked up a fork, cursing as it clattered to the ground. The snoring stopped and the light was flipped on.

"Leah?"

"Sorry! I was hungry."

She picked up her fork to find Jacob rubbing his eyes and moving towards the kitchen. "It's fine." He grabbed a fork and turned to her sitting at the table with her bowl, "What are we eating?"

"I'm eating pasta."

"Yum," He said sitting down and stealing a bite. She didn't find herself as annoyed as she expected, "How did you sleep?"

"Fine. How did I get here?"

"Found you out by the cliffs. Sam said you disobeyed him."

"This is the twenty-first century," She slapped his hand away as he snuck in another bite. "He doesn't control me."

"But he does. He has the alpha command."

"Cool nickname."

Jacob rolled his eyes, "It's not a nickname. It's a command the alpha can use to make the pack submit to his will."

She snorted, "Thank gosh it doesn't work."

"It usually does. How did you ignore him?"

"Like I always do. He told me to stay put and I told him to go to hell. I phased out after that."

"Maybe that's why you passed out. I've never seen anyone disobey an alpha command."

"You should try it sometime. Pissing off Sam is fun." She placed the empty bowl and forks in the sink. "What did I miss at the meeting after I left?"

"Nothing important. Although your mother is terrifying."

She barked a laugh, "Ha! I've lived with it for the past twenty years."

"You survive well, Clearwater." They sat at the table in silence for a moment, "We have a pack meeting tomorrow."

"Have fun."

"It's mandatory."

"My father is dead and I'm not really interested in listening to Sam prattle on. I had enough of him today. Who put him in charge anyway?"

"He was first to phase. The rightful alpha wasn't ready?"

"Well let's get him ready! Who is it?"

"Me," He said and Leah looked away.

"Oh." She let the silence sit for a moment. "Do I really have to go tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. How are my mom and Seth?"

Jacob let out a long breath, "Doing okay. Your mom went to bed early after making some arrangements. Seth and I hung out for a while. He's a good kid."

"The best," She said looking out the window. "It doesn't feel real. I swore when I woke up in my bed I thought it was a nightmare." She was fighting back tears again and her throat tightened. "What are we going to do?"

"What needs to be done," Jacob placed his hand on hers. "You are not alone. You know my father loves you all like family. And despite what you think now you are a part of a pack. We do anything for our brother and sister."

She smiled slightly. "If that's what I have to look forward to my life has gone off course. My god, I transform into a dog. I am literally a bitch."

Jacob watched as she began to get slightly hysterical. "Don't think about anything tonight. Come on, you should get some sleep."

She let him lead her upstairs but as they entered her bedroom she freaked out. He turned to face her and she jumped her lips smashing into his.

Her arms snaked around his neck and his moved to her waist. She deepened the kiss and Jacob fell into it. It felt right. It felt like it was meant to be.

He pulled away, "Leah. Leah we can't."

"Why? Because I am Sam's damaged goods?" She tried to break free of his grasp.

"No! Because your father just died. You phased for the first time. You're confused and upset and it wouldn't be right to do this now."

She let out a sob, "You're right. I'm so sorry."

He moved to wrap her in his arms, "It's okay. You're okay. I know it feels like everything is crashing down but you're okay. People here care about you. I care about you and I won't leave you alone."

"I can't go back to sleep," She cried. "Every time I wake up here it gets harder to believe that this is a nightmare. It makes it real."

"You can't hide from this. Sleep deprivation and distraction won't make this easier."

She nodded and moved towards the bed. She climbed in and he moved towards the door, "Can you stay here?"

He nodded and left the room, grabbing the pillow and blanket off the couch. He made a bed on the floor of her room and turned off the light, "Get some sleep."

"I'm sorry I kissed you."

"I didn't mind."

"Good," She didn't know what was happening between them but she was starting to like it. They both closed their eyes, smiling. She knew the nightmare would still be here when she woke up but she knew he would be too.

* * *

AN: Thanks for the read! I hope it was worth the wait! Hoping the hear your thoughts in a review! Either way the next chapter should be up on Wednesday at the latest. Hope you all have a good start to the week!


	5. A Walking Pace

AN: Hey everyone! Just a few things to address in this chapter before we get started. This chapter has actually been done for a bit but a nasty review has discouraged me from posting it. This review has been removed but I would just like to mention a few things. I appreciate all reviews, including constructive criticism, but you can critique without being a jerk. It you are just going to review to say my story sucks and call me a rookie writer, please just move on with your day. I know my writing style isn't for everyone, and that I tell you whose head your in while writing in third person (I try to focus on one person's head while in third person). I am not a professional writer, however, there is no reason to be rude or attack me in a review. I'm glad you tried the story but if you do not like were it was going you are welcome to stop reading without comment. This is my story and I am proud of it and don't appreciate being told it sucks and isn't worth continuing. Also, before you start throwing stones at someone's grammar you should check your own. I will only continue doing this as long as I find it fun, and being attacked isn't fun. I believe this should be a haven for writers of all abilities to come together and share their stories in a safe and kind community.

Anyway, thanks for listening to the rant. Now onto the rest and the majority of my readers. You all have been amazing! Most of the reviews I have received have been great either complimenting the story and giving me some great writing advice that I am trying to follow. I would like to especially thank those who reviewed ever single chapter, you are awesome. This is a bit of a filler chapter, the real action starts in Chapter 6. Chapter 6 is finished but I want to see the response I get after this. I don't want to continue if I am going to get flamed with every chapter. I am continuing for my wonderful readers, as awful as some of the things I read were I also got some great reviews and didn't want to disappoint you. I hope you enjoy this chapter! And since it doesn't come up in the next two chapters I'm going to let a little information slip. It isn't imprinting, or at least not like imprinting from the book. I'll explain soon! Enjoy the chapter and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: All recognized plots and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer

* * *

**Chapter 5:**  
**A Walking Pace**

Leah's Head

The sun pestered Leah to open her eyes. She rolled over to evade him yet again with a content sigh. The previous day's events crawled back into her mind and she quickly sat up. The night flashed before her eyes and she looked to the floor. A pillow and blanket sat folded against her bed. That mixed with Jacob's scent were the only evidence that he had slept on her floor that night.

She took a deep breath, letting his lingering scent calm her racing mind for a moment. As she focused she noticed she could hear talking downstairs. Jacob, Seth and her mom. Her eyes drifted to the clock on the wall and she noticed it was nearing eleven. She didn't expect to sleep so long.

She grabbed her purple towel and headed for the bathroom, deciding a shower was a good place to start today. She usually found the shower to be relaxing, but with too many questions swirling around her mind she made it quick. She returned to her room slipping into a pair of shorts and a tank, still unused to her elevated body temperature. She pulled her hair out of her face and made her way into the kitchen.

She was surprised to enter the kitchen to find only Jacob and Seth sitting at the table, devouring a pile of pancakes, "Where is Mom?"

"She went to the center to work out the details of you know," Seth said threw a mouthful of pancake. She nodded as she opened the refrigerator to grab the juice. She had put the idea of a funeral out of her mind, "Eat."

"Really? You two are going to share?" She asked with a sarcastic smile as she sipped the orange juice. Jacob rolled his eyes as he piled some of the pancakes on a clean plate and placed them in front of the empty seat.

"It's your lucky day."

"Gee, thanks." She grinned as she sat down, "How long have you two been up?"

"A few hours," Jake answered giving her a hidden smile.

"We thought we were going to have to wake you up, there's a meeting soon."

"What meeting?"

"A pack meeting," Seth answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Leah groaned but didn't argue about not going. She remembered her conversation with Jacob, she couldn't avoid these meetings. She was done running from her nightmares. She could face them.

Leah could feel Jacob's eyes on her as she ate the pancakes but kept her attention on Seth, listening to his usual chatter and conversation. She could tell he was trying to make things seem normal when things were everything but.

Seth went upstairs to change leaving Leah and Jacob alone in the kitchen. Leah worked on clearing the table, feeling Jacob's eyes watching her.

"How did you sleep?"

She placed the plates in the sink and turned to face him, "Good. Thank you for last night."

She hadn't expected him to be right behind her. He smiled down at her, "Anytime."

They stared at each other for a while, his hand moving to give hers a comforting squeeze. She smiled at him, tempted to lean in again and repeat their actions from last night.

"Are you guys ready?"

Leah jumped back hitting her hip against the counter and silently cursing as pain quickly shot up her side and subsided. She tore her hand away from Jacob's, happy their bodies blocked the view. She moved around him and smiled at her brother.

"Let's get this horrible meeting over with!" Leah said with false cheer as she pulled her brother out of the house.

"You're excited."

"Who wouldn't be? We get to go hang out at the golden couple's house. I wonder what flavor of muffin Emily baked today."

"Have you finally snapped?" Seth asked playfully in response to his sister's sarcasm.

"Please," She said pushing her brother away. "You have to deal with me for many more years before I snap."

* * *

Jacob's Head

Jacob followed the Clearwater siblings out of the house, smiling as they pushed each other playfully. He immediately missed the contact with Leah as she hurried to distract her brother.

He knew she did not want to go to this meeting, and since she was going so easily he expected he would hear about it later. He looked at his watch and noticed that they had about ten minutes until the meeting started and he didn't want to have to listen to Sam ramble on if they were late.

"Guys, let's phase and get going."

Leah stopped dead in her tracks, her jokes with her brother falling. "Do we have to phase?"

Jacob stopped in his tracks at the unexpected question. Seth looked at his sister for a moment before turning to face Jacob.

"Yeah, can we just walk?"

Jacob didn't know if Seth knew why his sister made the request, he watched her face closely to see if he could pick up on anything. A pleading look in her eyes.

"Sure, sure that's fine. Let's walk." Leah smiled a grateful smile as she turned back to her brother lacing their arms together again. They happily moved back to the path continuing on their journey. Leah threw Jacob a grateful smile before turning back to her brother's story.

Jacob watched the siblings suddenly remembering this was the longest time they had spent together in years. Leah left quickly following the scandal with Sam and hadn't returned for almost two years until two days ago. It would have been nice if they could be spending the time differently.

* * *

Leah's Head

She was relieved that they didn't have to phase as they moved through the woods. Leah wasn't sure how to control her thoughts yet, and her head was a mess today.

Her father weighed heavily on her mind, but at least it was a clear weight. She was devastated at the loss of her father and the loss of time they could've spent together. However, she was grateful they had a chance to reunite and celebrate one last time before his death. Knowing the truth about what he was forced to hide made coming to terms with the past easier.

She found Jacob creeping into her mind as well. Popping in when she least expected him to and taking center stage. He was the younger brother of her best friend. However, when they were together nothing else seemed to matter. It didn't matter where or who they were. He provided more comfort than anyone in her life ever had. She knew something like this shouldn't fell this perfect, but it did. She wasn't sure if she wanted to keep avoiding it.

Sam was back in her life, and by extension Emily. She didn't want anything to do with them but as she found herself walking to their home she figured that plan was blown. She was still so angry and hurt, but she knew she needed to move on. She needed to forgive them. She just wasn't sure how long it was going to take.

They moved out of the woods to find themselves in front of a small house. Leah had seen it once before. It was a two bedroom that Sam had bought for them to move into when they graduated high school. She was surprised as they approached the door that she felt nothing when entering what should have been her home. Maybe because it didn't feel like home.

"We are late," Jacob muttered as he ushered them inside. The scent of muffins filled their noses. Cranberry, Leah noted as Jacob led them to the small living room to the left of the entrance. "Sorry we are late."

"What did you walk here?" Paul asked with an annoyed growl, "Emily held back the food until you arrived."

"I'm sure you weren't going to starve to death." Leah snipped, grateful that neither of them had mentioned that she had made them walk here.

"Oh good, you brought the bitch."

"Enough, Paul!" Sam shouted as Jacob growled from behind her. She shot him a look choosing to ignore Sam's need to still defend her. She could take Paul. "Sit down, everyone."

She moved to sit next to Jared on the couch. He smiled at her, as did Quil and Embry, as she passed. Jacob managed to squeeze in between them having to place his arm around her to fit. Seth set in front of her as the meeting was about to begin.

"Who is hungry?" A bright voice asked as Emily came into the room, carrying a tray of cranberry muffins.

"Oh come on, Em!" Sam said with a laugh, "I just got them settled." He could never be truly mad at his imprint. She smiled at him as she moved around the room offering the muffins. Most of the guys took two or three. Jacob took one, Seth hesitated but eventually took a muffin as well, still not meeting Emily's face.

"Leah," Emily called her attention, "Take one."

"No, thanks."

"Oh, I insist!"

"Really, I'm fine."

"But!..."

"I'll take another, Emily!" Embry called dragging the attention away from Leah. Emily retreated to the kitchen soon after. Leah gave Embry a grateful smile, he gave her a smile back through a mouth full of muffin.

"Now then," Sam pulled the groups attention back to him. "As we all know we have two new members, Leah and Seth. I expect you all to make them feel welcome," He shot Paul a look who rolled his eyes and stuffed another muffin in his mouth. "Anything to report?"

"Patrol was clear this morning," Quil spoke up.

"Good, good. Leah, Seth, how are you doing?"

"Getting the hang of things," Seth answered for both of them giving Sam a hard look.

"Okay," Sam looked away. Seth loved everyone and it was very hard to get on his bad side. Sam might be the first and last. "We will need to have the welcome bon fire but due to recent events that has been put off. After that we can get you two worked into patrol schedules, okay?"

"Fine," Leah answered him this time. Her voice was short and full of authority. It left Sam little option but to move on to his next topic.

* * *

Jacob's Head

Jacob picked at the muffin in his hands as Sam continued to talk about things that didn't matter. Going over the patrol schedule, the same one they had been running for months and that wouldn't be changing before the weekend.

He was proud of Leah. She had been very calm throughout the entire meeting. She didn't argue with her duty to patrol, granted she hadn't been assigned a shift yet. He was hoping she was learning to accept things. It would help her to move on. Hopefully to a future involving him…

He needed to stop thinking about her. Ever since last night when she had kissed him. He knew stopping her was the right choice but he missed the electricity of the contact. He spent a good portion of the night watching her, making sure her dreams were peaceful. He found it easier to think about her than listen to Sam.

He let his eyes drift to the left to watch her. Her hands were resting on Seth's shoulders as she rolled her eyes at something Sam said. His arm moved slightly to grasp her shoulder. He watched her tense and look at him out of the corner of her eye, she smiled.

"Jacob… Jacob!" Sam's voice pulled his attention back to the meeting and he saw Leah's shoulders shaking in silent laughter, "Are you listening."

"Sure, sure. Patrol on Friday."

"We stopped talking about patrol five minutes ago. I was wondering if your dad had mentioned anything about a council meeting."

"I haven't talked to him yet," Jacob answered.

Sam nodded, "We should expect one by the end of the week. We will have another meeting this week as well. Harry Clearwater's funeral will be held sometime this week. Arrangements can be made to deal with patrols. I'll see you all later, Emily has lunch."

Jacob felt cold when Leah sprung to her feet, carefully stepping around her brother and heading for the door.

* * *

Leah's Head

Leah had been waiting for the meeting to end and didn't plan on staying to chit chat over lunch. She waited at the door as the other headed across the hall into the kitchen. Sam stopped briefly, looking like he wanted to say something, but a quick call from Emily had him scurrying into the kitchen.

Quil and Embry passed quickly, Embry brave enough to ruffle her hair. Jared smiled at her and her and Paul met with eye rolls. Finally Jacob and Seth caught up to her.

"Are we going?"

"Aw, come on Leah! Can't we stay for lunch?" Seth begged his sister. She had forgotten that these used to be Seth's friends before they seemingly joined 'Sam's gang.' Now he was part of the club. She didn't want to disappoint Seth, but she really wasn't looking forward to forced conversation with Emily.

"Seth, why don't you stay for lunch and Leah and I will go check in with your mom."

"Yeah, Seth!" Embry called reappearing from the kitchen with a sandwich. "I'll walk you home later. Better yet we can race!"

"Will you be okay?" Seth turned to ask his sister.

"Don't worry about me, kid. Enjoy lunch," He smiled, hugging her before following Embry into the kitchen.

"Ready?" Jacob asked her and she nodded, following him out of the house.

* * *

Jacob's Head

Jacob didn't bother suggesting they phased, figuring she hadn't changed her mind from earlier. They walked in silence back to the house, their hands brushing with each step. Jacob was disappointed at the short distance.

The house was empty when they arrived, but Jacob figured that Sue would be home soon. He followed Leah into the kitchen catching the apple she threw at him. They ate the fruit in silence until he spoke, "How are you really doing today?"

"Better." She said and Jacob could see the honesty in her eyes. "It still hurts but it seems like a manageable hurt, you know?"

He nodded, "And the wolf thing. Does that seem normal yet?"

She snorted, "That will take a while. When did you phase?"

"February, I was the fourth one. It gets better and is actually a little cool. Your senses are heightened…"

"I've noticed that," She stared into his eyes the air suddenly filling with electricity. She was quiet for a moment, "Do you feel it?"

"The electricity, yeah."

"Is that a normal wolf thing?"

"Not one that I've experienced. Not until you phased."

She nodded, throwing the apple core into the trash. She took her time moving closer to him. Placing her hands on his forearms and staring into his eyes. He swallowed, knowing he should move away but at the same time wanting to move in closer.

Luckily she made the decision for him.

* * *

Leah's Head

Her heart was pounding loudly in her head and she wondered if he could hear it. She leaned in slowly, their eyes staying locked until the last moment. She felt their lips meld together, the sparks that she had only had a taste of the night before exploding. She closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss. Her hands entwined around his neck, his arms wrapped around her waist.

She pulled back, letting air reflate her lungs. She let her lips find their way back to his once again, until he pulled away.

"We can't do this."

"Why? Do you not want to?"

"No! It's like last night. You still aren't thinking clearly…"

"I am. Does this feel wrong?"

"No, but."

She pulled back to look into his eyes. "Yes, my father is dead. I'm still dealing with that but I'm not using you as a distraction. Something is happening here. We shouldn't make sense. I'm your sister's best friend, but it feels right."

"It does," He agreed thinking for a second, "Are you sure you are sure about this?"

"More than anything right now."

"Okay," He said pulling her closer. His arms wrapping tightly around her once again. "We will take this slow. If you need a break…"

"I won't. This is what I need. You are what I need."

He kissed her this time. Short but loving, breaking apart not long after it began and holding her close. She breathed in the same comforting scent that lingered in her room that morning. Like the woods after a storm. The timing may have sucked but she couldn't imagine anything more perfect in that moment. She felt connected.

* * *

Jacob's Head

The sound of the front door shattered their peace. They moved out of each other's arms, instantly missing the connection, as they prepared to face whoever was coming in. Sue entered the kitchen, looking tired.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hey, Sweetie. Jacob, where is Seth?"

"He is with Embry, he should be home soon. How did today go?" Leah asked her mother as they all moved to sit around the table.

"Everything is set." Sue said tiredly, "The funeral will be tomorrow. A quiet ceremony just like he wanted."

Leah reached across the table to hold her mother's hand. Jacob ached to hold her hand as well. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"No, everything is set." Sue forced a smile for her daughter. "Do you have something to wear?"

"Don't worry about it." Leah reassured her mother. "Why don't you go rest? I can handle dinner and Seth tonight."

"You are a good girl, Leah." Sue kissed her daughter's forehead. "Get the word to your father for me Jacob. He will spread it around if he hasn't already."

"Of course," He nodded as she move upstairs. His arm came to rest around Leah's shoulders, "You good?"

"Yeah," She said smiling at him. "I didn't expect tomorrow to be the day."

"They like to move fast." He remembered his own mother's funeral. He moved his chair closer to her and held her as they sat in silence.

"Leah? Jacob?" Seth's voice called from the living room as the door opened. Jacob could smell him and Embry as they entered the house. The pair separated and moved into the living room.

"How was lunch?"

"It would've been better if you stayed. Is Mom home?"

"Yeah she is upstairs." Leah answered and Seth nodded. He knew the date was set/

"Why don't Embry and I get going? I'll come here in the morning with Billy." Jacob said meeting Leah's eyes trying to give comfort from across the room.

"Thanks, Jacob." She smiled as he and Embry left leaving her alone with her brother. She missed him already.

* * *

Leah's Head

"So, tomorrow huh?"

"Yeah," She said. "It feels really soon, right?"

He nodded, waiting a moment before hugging his sister, "You aren't going to leave again right?"

She was surprised by the question but hugged her brother tighter, "You're stuck with me, kid. It will be okay, eventually." For the first time in a while she actually believed it.

* * *

AN: Thanks for reading! Can't wait to hear what you thought. The next chapter is done and depending on what happens with this one it could be up as early as today. Have a great day guys! Don't let the flamers get you down! :D


	6. Facing the Day

AN: Hello lovely readers! I hope your weekend was awesome, but I'm certainly sad it is coming to an end. Thank you everyone for the supportive and awesome reviews. I'm taking everyone's advice and pushing through this and not letting it get to me. Even though I got a very rude review again I've decided not to remove it this time. Take the good with the bad. Besides, if you took the time to read the story and give a horribly mean review you thought a lot about the story that day and at least that is something! So thank you everyone for your thoughts!

More importantly some notes on the new chapter! It is morphing back into some elements that you might recognize from New Moon (with some slight changes of course!) This chapter is really getting us back on track to propel through the books so thanks for sticking with it! The way this chapter turned out it was mostly Leah's head with just a little Jacob at the end. Let me know how you liked it, if you would prefer I try to stick in one head over the other for the majority of the chapter. I find I like writing both so I'll see what you all have to say in the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: All recognized plots and characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

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**Chapter 6:  
****Facing the Day**

Leah's Head

Leah and her brother ate a small dinner together in silence. Their mother surfaced only once, making sure both of them had clothing that fit for the funeral tomorrow. She quickly retired to her room after that, leaving the siblings alone once again.

Whatever time they spent apart didn't matter, they quickly settled into their old routine. They argued through washing the dishes before racing to the couch to locate the remote. They fought over it for a while before settling on a neutral comedic sitcom rerun that they watched in silence.

Seth headed up to bed first, not long after they had settled on the channel to watch. Leah watched him go and stared blankly at the screen for a few minutes. She eventually moved from the living room to turn off the lights, not bothering with locking the doors. She headed upstairs to her own room, carefully moving in the hallway as to not disturb her mother and brother.

She quickly changed into a pair of pajama shorts and a tank before settling into bed. She tossed and turned for a while and eventually found herself in a light sleep.

* * *

Leah's eyes shot open as the sound of something hitting her window filled the room. She waited for a moment, finally relaxing in the silence when the sound. She scrambled out of the bed and over to the window, rolling her eyes as she pushed it open.

"What do you think you are doing? Do you know what time it is?"

"Late. Let me up."

Even though he was whispering Leah feared someone would hear him, "Alright, just be quiet."

She stepped back as he took a running start, using the trees and the side of her house to propel himself through her bedroom window. He landed on her floor with a soft thud, turning to give her a smile, "Hey."

"Hey? You come climbing through my window in the middle of the night and say hey?"

"I wanted to check on you." He moved closer, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, "You weren't sleeping well."

"I was sleeping fine."

"You were tossing and turning. I could hear you half way here."

"What were you doing half way here?"

"A feeling," He said leading her over to the bed and forcing her to lay back down.

"How are you going to get your father here tomorrow morning?" She asked choosing to ignore his 'feeling' comment.

"I'll leave early."

She snorted but complied with lying back down, "Sneaking into my bedroom in the middle of the night isn't taking things slow."

"Get over yourself," He laughed quietly, moving to shut the window they left open. "I'm just making sure you're okay. Now go to sleep."

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"On the floor again."

She rolled her eyes as she turned to face the wall, leaving her back to face him. "You can sleep in the bed."

She waited quietly as he moved slowly over to her and climbed into bed. He had removed his shirt and wrapped an arm around her waist. She relaxed after a moment, breathing deeply and fell asleep a lot quicker than she had before.

* * *

"Leah!" Her eyes shot open as she sat up in bed. Seth was standing in her doorway, "You have to start getting ready.

"Okay," She nodded, breathing a sigh of relief that she was alone in her bed. Seth shut the door behind him and Leah fell back against her pillow again. A piece of paper on her bedside table caught her eye.

Leah,

I left this morning to go and get my dad. It was early and no one saw me.

I'll see you in a few hours. Miss you until then.

Jake

She folded up the piece of paper and climbed out of bed. A smile was plastered on her face as she showered and dried her hair. As she stood in front of her closet her smile disappeared. She pulled out one of the few black dresses she owned and threw them onto her bed. She settled on one that had been a little long on her when she left. It was much shorter now but still tasteful. The spaghetti straps were thin and she covered them with a black cardigan. She slipped into black flats and applied minimal makeup. Taking one last look in the mirror she reached for a necklace hanging off it. It was a small silver heart necklace that her father had bought her years ago, she fastened it around her neck and went downstairs.

She was surprised to find she was the last one ready. Sue and Billy were sitting in the living room, Billy talking quietly to the two boys standing against the wall.

"Hey," Leah drew attention to herself but her eyes only focused on Jake. He smiled at her, the most action they could take with each other today. She smiled back before focusing on her mother, "We ready?"

Her mother nodded shakily. It was strange for Leah Clearwater to see her mother shaken. This was the woman her could bring people to their knees with a single stare. Leah knew that today it would be her job to be the strong one, and she accepted it. Her mother needed her and as much as Seth wanted to be the strong one she had always had more of a control over her emotions, for the most part.

"Ready," Her mother stood reaching out to take Leah's hand. Leah let her mother lead her out of the house, stealing a look back at Jacob as she passed. The men followed them out of the house and to the car as they drove off to the center.

The ride was silent and quick as they arrived at the center within minutes. Crowds had already gathered as they piled out of the car. Sue kept a hold on both of her children as they made their way inside and to the front.

Leah's breath caught in her throat as they approached the front. Old Quil stood at the head, a solemn look on his face as he nodded in greeting. In front of him, her father's coffin took center stage. She took her seat with her mother and brother in the chairs on the right side of the coffin. It was hard to tear her eyes away from the last remains of her father, but she did as Old Quil began the customary prayers.

About halfway through the prayers her mother's sobs became audible and she repositioned herself to wrap an arm around her mother's shoulders. She felt Seth grasp her hand on the other side of their mother and she gave his hand a squeeze. She felt tears falling from her own eyes, but ignored them as the ceremony continued.

Old Quil ended with a final prayer as a few young men approached the coffin. Leah's eyes locked on Jacob as he, and the pack she realized, lifted the coffin and moved outside. The family and close friends followed Old Quil and the procession outside for the burning ceremony.

The crowd formed a half circle around the coffin. The waves could be heard crashing in the distance as Old Quil spoke again, "Harry Clearwater was a well-respected elder. Loving husband of Sue Clearwater. Adored father of Leah and Seth. He is a great loss not only to family and friends but to this community. May he rest in peace, rejoining the dust of our ancestors."

Old Quil launched into another prayer as the men who carried the coffin outside set it a flame. The crowd watched on as the fire spread quickly. The sounds of the waves and the sobs of those around her melded together and Leah felt her vision blur with tears. She acknowledged that this was it. This was her last moments with her father.

As the fire turned to ashes, Old Quil directed the people back into the center for the reception. Seth nodded to his sister as he moved his mother inside with the help of Billy. She ignored the crowds moving around her, watching the smoke dancing into the sky. She knew he wouldn't leave her alone, but decided to wait until he approached her.

A hand grasped hers tightly and she did a quick look around to make sure no one was still outside with them, "Today sucks."

He let out a low laugh, "Yeah, it does. You are doing well though and it's almost over."

"Is it? What comes after today?"

"Tomorrow?" He tried the joke before moving to wrap her in his arms, "A lot of rough days but it will get better."

She nodded, letting the tears run more freely now that it was only the two of them. She didn't have to be strong for her mother right now. Or her brother, and to be honest Jacob had pretty much seen her at her worst all week.

"I should go inside for a bit."

"You sure?"

She nodded moving away with a smile, "Thanks. Stay close by?"

"Always." They separated and made their way indoors. Leah was immediately spotted as people came up to offer their condolences. She knew many of them felt sorry for her situation, but she also acknowledge that this was one of the few times she had been out in public since she returned home. Sam and Emily were here so she was sure a few people were expecting a show.

She made her way through the mourners to find her family sitting at a table. Quil and Embry were keeping Seth company as he sat with their mother. Billy was there as well along with her father's friend Charlie Swan. She remembered him from fishing trips as a kid when he would bring his winy daughter Bella.

Leah sat down at the table smiling at her mother. She felt Jake sit on her other side, closer to Seth than the adults. She picked food off of the plate Jacob had set in front of her and nodded in thanks as more people came by with condolences.

Leah wasn't surprised when Sam and Emily approached the table. They faced Sue mostly but looked at the rest of them. "We are very sorry for your loss," Sam spoke for the pair.

"Thank you," Sue said as both Leah and Seth nodded. Leah didn't feel like dealing with them today but knew they had a right to be there. Without another word they disappeared again into the crowd.

Leah felt everyone's eyes on her as the couple moved away. The room suddenly felt too small as the whispering began. This was about her father. Not them. Not her.

"Mom," Her mother looked much better after talking to Charlie, "Do you mind if I go?"

Sue smiled at her daughter knowing she would rather grieve in private. "I would rather you didn't go alone," She turned to see Seth smiling for the first time today with Embry and Quil.

"I'll walk her home, Sue. Dad can get a ride back with Charlie."

Sue looked to Billy and Charlie for confirmation, "Thank you, Jacob. I'll see you at home, Sweetie."

Leah quickly stood from the table trusting Jacob would follow her. She moved quickly through the crowd and out into the fresh air.

"Walk or run?" Jacob asked when he came to stand next to her.

"Walk, please." He nodded grasping her hand lightly as they walked back to her house. It was peaceful as they made their way back to the house. She let her mind wander to the happy times with her father. Fishing trips without Bella Swan. Days at the beach. Cooking his famous fish fry and leaving the kitchen a mess. This was how she wanted to spend the day remembering her father, not in a stuffy room filled with people.

When they got back to the house Jacob led Leah inside. He grabbed a water bottle, handing it to her, "What do you need?"

She accepting the water and took a drink, "Some alone time I think. I'm sorry, I think I just need to take some time…"

He kissed her softly, "Shut up. I get it. Take some time, get a nap in before Sue and Seth get home. I'll come by with some lame excuse later to check on you."

"Thank you," She said with a smile as he headed for the door.

"I'll have my phone if you need me."

She watched as he moved to the forest and phased. She took her water upstairs and changed out of the dress. The pillow still smelled like him slightly. She pulled the covers around her and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Jacob's Head

Jacob didn't like leaving Leah alone but he understood it. This was the independent Leah Clearwater. He was lucky she allowed him around as much as she did.

He phased when he reached the edge of the forest moving quickly to his house. He had stayed up for a long time the night before making sure Leah didn't have any nightmares. He was tired and wanted to get a nap before his father got back home.

He groaned as he phased back putting his clothes back on. He hadn't worn this much clothing since before phasing but needed to look right for the funeral. He groaned again when he noticed what was in the car, a red pickup.

He approached the house to find her sitting on the front steps. She was pouting as he approached, "You haven't called!"

"It's been busy here. What are you doing here, Bella?"

"I thought we were going to the funeral together."

"It wasn't a party Bella. It was a very private thing."

"My father was there!"

"Your father and Harry were friends! Did you even know him?"

"No. Whatever, I've missed you."

She moved closer, inching to wrap her arms around him. He stepped back, "Things have changed, Bella."

"No they haven't. I still choose you."

"You never chose me. Edward left."

She scowled, "I cannot believe you just said that to me!"

"I can't deal with you today, Bella." He was tired from barely sleeping last night and drained emotionally from the funeral. Bella's attitude was not what he needed right now.

"Then don't!" She stomped off leaving her bag on the front porch. Jacob rolled his eyes as he headed into the house taking her bag with him.

He dropped her bag on the couch as he headed over to check the messages. One missed called from Rachel. Crap.

He quickly dialed her number waiting for her to pick up. It went straight to voicemail and he decided to leave a message, "Hey, Rach. Sorry we missed your call. We were at Harry Clearwater's funeral today. I should've thought to call you earlier but things have been crazier here than you can imagine. You should call Leah though, it would mean a lot."

He hung up and made his way to the shower. As much as he wanted to help Leah and as closer as they were getting he knew her best friend could do way more. He returned his clothing to the closet in exchange for cutoffs and a t-shirt, throwing them on after a quick shower. He moved back to the living room to hear something vibrating from the couch.

He went through Bella's bag and uncovered a cellphone, "Hello?"

"Bella?"

"I'm sorry, she is unavailable. Can I take a message?"

"Is Charlie there?"

"No, he is still at the funeral I think?"

"What?"

The line went dead, "Hello? Hello?" He put the phone back in the bag with a shrug as he made himself a sandwich. The home phone rang and he hurried to answer it, hoping to not miss another of Rachel's calls. She was his only sister that did call, "Hello?"

"Hey, Jake." His dad's voice came across the line. "Charlie and I are taking Sue and Seth back to the house. We are going to cook something there tonight, you should come over and keep them company with us."

"I will," He smiled. He didn't even have to come up with an excuse to see her.

"Hey, Charlie wants to know if you have heard from Bella. She isn't answering her cell."

"Yeah she left it here," He looked out the window and noticed her truck was gone, "But she must have run home. I'll drop it off to her and then come over."

"Sounds good. See you soon, son."

"Bye, Dad." They both hung up and Jacob grabbed Bella's bag off the couch. The faster he returned her stuff the sooner he could see Leah again.

He went outside and phased, carrying his clothes and her bag in his mouth. He rushed to her house carefully arriving in the back yard. He phased and changed as a disgustingly sweet smell filled his nose, Cullen.

He let himself in the back door, "Bella!"

She hurried into the back and threw her arms around him, "Oh, Jacob."

"Um, hey. You left your bag at my house. Charlie has been trying to reach you."

She snatched her bag away, looking through it and pulling out her phone, "Did you talk to him?"`

"No, my dad mentioned it…"

"Not Charlie! Edward!"

"Why would I talk to Edward?" He asked as Alice Cullen walked into the room, "Leech."

"Dog," She looked over Bella's shoulder as she went through her phone's recent calls. "That is the number Edward has been using."

Bella turned to Jacob, "You talked to him? What did you say?"

Jacob shrugged, "Not much. He didn't even mention it was him. Asked for you and I said you were unavailable. Then he wanted Charlie and I told him he was still at the funeral…"

The two girls groaned, "Jacob, no."

"What?"

"Edward thinks Bella is dead."

"Why would he think that?"

"Because when she went to see you she disappeared from my visions of the future. Then you told Edward Charlie was at the funeral…"

"Harry's funeral."

"But Edward doesn't know that! What do we do?" Bella's voice was high pitched as she moved away from Jacob to ask Alice for her advice.

"We have to go after him. To Italy. If we don't hurry he will do some drastic and get the Volturi's attention. We may already be too late."

"What?" Jacob asked, "You can't just run off to Italy!"

"I have to save him, Jacob. He is the love of my life."

Jacob rolled his eyes, "Charlie's worried you won't answer your phone. What do you think he is going to do when you run off to Italy to find your dead ex-boyfriend?"

"He will forgive me. I need Edward."

"Think this through Bella. This is a stupid plan. You can't go running off to Italy to find some guy who left you…"

"You don't understand! You've never had love or been loved like Edward and I have!"

At the mention of love his mind flashed to Leah. She needed him. "Whatever, try not to get yourself killed." He realized in that moment that there was no convincing Bella. She was too far gone. Too dedicated to Edward to even think about her own safety. He wanted to kick himself for not noticing that she had made her choice a long time ago. He had wasted enough time trying to save her from herself when she didn't want to be saved.

"Edward will keep me safe!" She called as he exited the house. He phased quickly and made his way towards the Clearwater's. Bella may be a lost cause but he would save Leah. He would keep her safe. He could make her happy.

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AN: Thanks for the read everyone! Let me know what you thought about it! I love hearing from all of you! I'm trying to keep track of everyone who reviews to do a shout out in an upcoming chapter because I have some really awesome reviewers! Let me know what you think! I will be doing an unofficial poll in the reviews about your preference for switching between Leah and Jacob's heads! Have a good Monday (if our time zones are lining up) and an awesome week! Hoping to get the next chapter out later today or Tuesday!


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